Alining, securing, and bonding of rail ends.



'No. 700,994. Patented May 27-, 1902.

' F. DELLA TOHRE & 0'. B. BANKS.

ALINING, SECURING, AND BONDING 0F BAIL ENDS.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1901. Renewed Oct. 24, 1901.) (No Model.)

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No. 700,994. Patented May 27, I902;

F. DELLA TORBE & D. B. BANKS.

ALINING, SECURING, AND BONDING 0F BAIL ENDS.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1901. Renewed Oct. 24, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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A NlTlED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK DELLA TORRE AND DANIEL I3. BANKS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ALINING, SECURING, AND BONDING OF RAIL ENDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,994, dated May 27,1902.

Application filed li'ebruarylfi, 190l- Renewed October 24, 1901. SerialNo. 79,877. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK DELLA TORRE and DANIEL B. BANKS, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Baltimore, State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Alining, Securing, andBonding of Rail Ends; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

Our improvements relate to an improved process of alining, securing, andbonding the ends of railroad-rails; and the objects of our improvementsare, first, to bring the ends of railroad-rails which may have becomeout of alinement caused by wear or otherwise to a true wheel-surface;second, to secure and hold the ends of railroad-rails with a nearapproach to the rigidity and flexibilty of the continous part of therail, and, third, to effectually bondrailroad-rails to insure electricalconductivity of the rail.

The above objects have in view the form ation of such joints asWill'renderthe rails practically continuous and without that weakness,lack of rigidity, and impairment of wearing qualities at the joints socharacteristic of prior efforts in this direction.

So far as we are aware there has been no successful solution of theproblem of joining rails which have already become worn or battered atthe ends without either first restoring said ends to their originalshape by suitable mechanical appliances and then applying a jointthereto or by entirely cutting off and removing the distorted ends,thereby shortening the rails, either of which processes is almost asexpensive and as difficult to carry out as the relaying of the track.

WVith the above-mentioned objects in view and in order to provide apractical process for rigidly connecting the adjacent ends of rails insitu, which will overcome the difiiculties and defects incident to theformer efiorts to accomplish this end, we now unite the adjacent ends ofthe rails and bring the wheelsurface to a fixed or datum line byaprocess which may be briefly described as follows: Assuming that theprocess is to be used on a track which has been in use and the railssomewhat distorted, the adjacent ends of the rails are first exposed bya suitable excavation around the ends, the fish-plates are removed, andthe ends of the rails subjected to a more or less thorough cleaning, thethoroughness of which, however, is not of particular importance so faras the present invention is concerned. Suitable clamps of approximatelythe shape of the top and bottom of the rails are then applied andrigidly connected, thus forming a mold in the required alinement. Atthis point it will be noted that should the rail ends be battered down aspace will be left between the top clamp and the rail ends, the bottomsurface of said top clamp being in the true alinement required. Thestages of the process may proceed simultaneously one with the other oreither of said stages may precede the other. We do not limit ourselvesto the order of procedure. One stage of the process is to force the railends into said clamps after they have been placed in position, as abovedescribed. This is done by expanding or stretching the web of the railends. There are various methods of accomplishing this result, and we donot wish to limit ourselves to any particular method. Another stage ofthe process is the securing of the rail ends together by means of thewelding together of checks placed on the opposite sides of the websthereof. Another stage of the process is the more or less completewelding of checks placed against the webs of the rail ends to said webs,thus forming a good electrical conductor.

We will first describe what we consider the preferable apparatus foroperating the above process and also one which performs the variousstages almost simultaneously and after that modified forms.

Chocks, preferably of wrought-iron and heated to a welding heat, areapplied to opposite sides of the web of the rail and between the headand bottom flange, so as to bridge the joint between the two rails,after which sufficientpressure is applied to opposite faees of saidchecks, thereby causing said checks to spread vertically and toward eachother through openings in or near the ends of the rail. If no openingswere in said rail, suitable openings are formed therein. This pressurehas the effect, first, of welding the chocks together through theopenings, and, secondly, by the compression of the rail-web, which hasbecome heated by contact with the hot chocks and the vertical pressureof the plastic chocks, causes the ends of said rails to spreadvertically and completely fill the space between the previously-appliedclamps, or, in other words, the surface of the railhead is brought upagainst the under face of the clamp or mold practically at all pointswithin the field above the chocks. The pressure is maintained asuificient time for the parts to set in this position when the pressureis relieved, and the joint is completed without the necessity ofgrinding or dressing the head of the rail, as has heretofore been foundnecessary.

Apparatus for carrying thisinvention into practice it is obvious may beof many different forms, and we have not deemed it necessary toillustrate in the accompanying drawings more than a simple form of suchapparatus-namely, the clamps for holding the rails in alinement andproviding a mold, so to speak, for the top and bottom of the rail endswhen the expanding of the same takes place, together with a press ofsuch a character that the pressure necessary in carrying out'the processmay be effectually and conveniently applied to the chocks and rail ends.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of awelding-press, showing a railin section with welding chocks and clampsthereon. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, taken in elevation at rightangles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a modified method of rail expansion whereheated chocks are used, but not heated to the welding temperature. Thesesufficiently heat the web, so that it may be worked and the railexpanded, as above described, after which the rails may be secured assuggested by this process or by other means. Fig. 4 shows another way ofaccomplishing the same result. Here the necessary heat is applied to theweb of the rail by means such as fla'me, fire, or otherwise. Then thepress is brought to bear directly on the web, causing the same toexpand.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the sameparts.

In said drawings the letters A A indicate a pair of very heavypress-jaws pivoted together on a center at B and havingupwardlyextending handles or operating portions a a. The faces of thejaws A A are provided with dies or anvil-faces O C, respectively,preferablyheld in place by bolts 0 c, so as to be readily removable forthe substitution of new or difierent-shaped dies to correspond to thework to be done. The upper ends of the jaws or their upward extensions act have interposed between them, preferably directly, a ram of ahydrostatic press, through which the power is derived for securing thepressure before referred to. In the preferred construction the extensiona at its upper end is formed with or into a cylinder D, into whichhydraulic pressure may be transmitted by means of a pipe or conduit (1,and working in this cylinder D is a piston or ram having a push orconnecting-rod D extending across and taking a bearing upon theextension 0. of the jaw A. In addition to the hydrostatic-pressconnections the said extensions on rt are connected together bytoggle-links E, to the central joint 6 of which a hanger or support,such as F, may be attached.

In order to position the dies properly with relation to the chocks andrails, the jaws are provided, preferably, with a gage or gages whichwill rest upon the upper surface of the rails or the clamps appliedthereto, and this gage or gages is or are preferably such that it orthey may be removed and other gages substituted for different kinds ofwork-as, for instance, where wide or narrow rails are to be operatedupon. In the preferred com struction two gages are employed, and theyconsist es two depending legs or feet G, pivotally suspended from thecentersB and hanging down in position to constitute a rest for thepress.

The rail en s H are suitably perforated at h near their e1 dbs, theperforations extending through the we s of the rails, and to thetop andbottom of such ends clamp or mold pieces I I of heavy cross-section andconforming to the shape of the top and bottom faces of the rail areapplied and held rigidly by means of yokes K and wed ge-keys K or othersuitable clamping appliances, the faces of said moldpicces being inalinement with the body portions of the rails and bridgingthe joint between the rail ends. In practice the chocks L, preferably ofwrought-ironand of a shape to approximately fit the space between theflange and head of the rail, are applied to each side and-preferablyafter having been heated to a welding heat. The press A A is thenbrought into operation and the chocks squeezed toward each other,causingthe metal to fiow into and through the openings in the rail ends andweld firmly together. The pressure applied causes the vertical spreadingor a tendency of the rail ends to spread vertically, and the heads ofsaid ends are thereby brought up firmly against. the under surface ofthe top mold-piece. The flanges are also seated firmly against thebottom mold-piece, and the whole joint is held under pressure until setin this position. In practice the metal of the chocks swells out aboveand below the faces of the dies to a certain extent, forming top andbottom flanges which strengthen the joint to a very material degree,and, furthermore, exert a positive upward and downward pressure on therailhead and flange, respectively, which in addition to the lateralpressure on the web effects the desired result.

Where desired, the faces of the dies may be provided with slightprojections, as indicated at m in Fig. 1, opposite the openings in thewebs of the rails in order to insure an equalization of the pressure atthe point where a portion of the metal squeezes through said opening.

Obviously the particular form of apparatus employed is not essential;but it is highly desirable to have a press which will be capable ofoperation in a comparatively limited excavation around the adjacent railends in order to avoid so far as possible the necessity of tearing upthe pavement or street-surface along the track, and such an apparatus asthat illustrated has proven itself to be highly efficient. It is obviousalso that any ordinary method of cleaning and fiuxing the chocks may beemployed, and, further, that while the process herein described isparticularly useful where rails have been in use and the ends somewhatdistorted, still, inasmuch as in practice it is found that new railsvary considerably, due to causes not necessary to mention herein, theprocess is highly advantageous in the laying of new tracks, inasmuch asit insures a proper alinement of the wheelsurface regardless ofanyslight variation in the size or shape of the rails to be united.

In this specification and claims where the term pressure is used we meaneither continuous or uninterrupted pressure-e. g., a gradual pressure,as from a hydraulic press, or blows, as from a hammer or the like.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-describedimprovementin the art of joining adjacent ends ofrailroad-rails, consisting in applying chocks thereto which arepreliminarily heated to a welding heat and finally applying sufficientcontinued pressure to the outer opposite faces of the chocks to weld thesame together and simultaneously raise the heads of the rails intosurface alinement; substantially as described.

2. The herein-described improvements in the art of joining the adjacentends of railroad-rails consisting in applying chocks thereto which arepreliminarily heated to a welding heat, applying sufficient continuedpressure to the outer opposite faces of the chocks to weld said chockstogether and raise the head of the rails into surface alinement andrestraining the vertical spreading of said rail ends at the point ofsurface alinement; substantially as described.

3. The herein-describedimprovement in the art of joining adjacent endsof railroad-rails consisting in applying a rigid mold to therail-surface, applying chocks which are preliminarily heated to awelding heat to the opposite faces of the rail-webs and finally applyingsnfficient continued pressure to the opposite faces of the chocks toweld said chocks together and spread the rail ends into contact with themold; substantially as described.

4. The herein-described method of joining adjacent ends ofrailroad-rails consisting in perforating the webs of the rails neartheir ends, applying chocks thereto which are preliminarily heated to awelding heat, applying sufficient continued pressure to the outeropposite faces of the chocks to weld the rail ends together through theperforations in the webs and spread said rail ends vertically andrestraining the spreading action of said rail ends to form a truewheel-surface; substantially as described.

5. The alinement of rail ends, consisting in placing the adjacent railends in a top and bottom clamp shaped to the requiredalinement, andforming them into said clamp by pressure laterally applied to the saidrail ends between the top and bottom of the clamp.

6. The alinement of rail ends, consisting in placing the adjacent railends in a top and bottom clamp shaped to the required alinement, heatingsaid rail ends, and forming them into said clamp, by pressure applied tosaid ends between the top and bottom of the clamp.

7. The alinement of rail ends and the securing of the same, consistingin placing the adjacent rail ends in a clamp shaped to the requiredalinement, securing metal placed against said rail ends thereto, andforming said rail ends into said clamp.

8. The alinement ofrail ends having apertures therein and the securingof the same together, consisting in placing the adjacent rail ends in aclamp shaped to the required alinement,securing metal placed againstsaid rail ends together through said apertures, and forming said railends into said clamp by lateral pressure applied to said rail ends afterthe same have been heated.

9. The alinement of rail ends having apertures therein and the securingof the same together, consisting in placing the adjacent rail ends in aclamp shaped to the required alinement, welding heated metal chocksplaced against said rail ends together through said apertures bypressure applied thereto and heating said rail ends by heat from thesaid heated metal chocks and the pressure applied thereto, andformingsaid heated rail ends into said clamp by pressure laterally applied.

10. The herein-described mode or method of joining adjacent ends ofrailroad-rails consisting in applying heated chocks thereto, and finallyapplying sufficient pressure to the outside surfaces of said chocks tocause them to adhere to said rails, and to spread the ends thereofvertically, substantially as described.

FRANK DELLA TORRE. DANIEL B. BANKS.

Witnesses:

FELIX R. SULLIVAN, Louls A. KATZENBERGER.

